Shrek The Musical JR is coming to Rotorua.
Rotorua Musical Theatre will present the production, starting September 1, Freddie Gershon, chief executive of Music Theatre International (MTI) announced today.
The family-friendly musical comedy follows the adventures of an ogre named Shrek who sets off on a quest to save a princess from a dragon. However, it turns out that in order to ultimately succeed, Shrek must battle an even bigger obstacle: learning how to believe in himself and open his heart to others.
"Shrek's unique story of discovery encourages each of us to examine our prejudices, review what we believe to be our limitations and work to better understand ourselves and others. The actors and crew in this production have embarked on a similar journey, as students and teachers with many different interests have learned more about themselves and each other while collaborating towards the common goal of presenting this musical," said Mr Gershon.
With music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, Shrek The Musical is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film and the book
Shrek by William Steig. The original Broadway production, starring Brian d'Arcy James as Shrek and Sutton Foster as Fiona, ran for 12 months and received a total of 10 Drama Desk Awards and eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. The musical was adapted to be performed by students by educational musical theatre consultancy firm iTheatrics under the supervision of Timothy Allen McDonald.
Rotorua Musical Theatre will perform it at Casablanca Theatre. Tickets are $15 for children, students and seniors, $20 for adults and a family ticket of two adults and two children for $60. Tickets can be bought from Ticketmaster or at The Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre from August 1. For more information go to www.ticketmaster.co.nz.
MTI is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting schools as well as amateur and professional theatres from around the world the rights to perform the largest selection of great musicals from Broadway and beyond.